Swing
by somedeepmystery
Summary: Inez seeks escape from some offense, Link tries to offer comfort. Link Inez friendship with a little TracyLink love added in. Kind of random really.


Inez wrapped her slender fingers tight around the cool thick chains and used her toes to push off, sending the swing backwards a moment before it swept forward, taking her with it. The wind waffled through her pigtails and cooled her cheeks where the tears had left their tracks. She was probably too old to play on the swings now. Surely it wasn't dignified for the lead dancer on the Corny Collins Show, the fourteen year old Miss Teenage Hairspray, to succumb to such a childish pastime; but she just didn't care.

She wished she could be a little girl again right now…

_She pumped her legs and the swing carried her higher._

That she could find joy in pretend…

_Higher still._

Play in the mud…

_Pump, pull, wind rushing, breathing deep._

Dress up like a princess and believe for a moment it was true. Believe for a moment that none of the cruel things people said meant anything at all.

The rhythm of the swing, the gentleness of the push and the pull relaxed her, but they didn't take away the sting in her heart or erase the cruel words echoing in her mind. She pressed to go higher and higher, pretending for a moment that if she went high enough she could bust through the sky and leave all this behind.

"Inez?"

She recognized his voice. It was a nice voice really, not nearly as interesting or complex as some of the ones she heard everyday at home in the record store, her mother commenting on the tone and texture of each… but it was true and strong. Still, she didn't feel like talking to anyone and that included him… maybe especially him… not that he deserved it.

"You alright kid?" Inez rolled her eyes. While a moment ago she had longed for childhood, the last thing she wanted was some handsome older boy calling her "kid". She set her jaw and pumped the swing to new heights.

Link watched Inez's jaw clench up tight and knew this wasn't going to be easy. He also knew he wasn't going anywhere.

When he'd seen her running out the doors and on to the field, he had spotted the tears in her eyes without trying. Even if he hadn't, the way she was holding herself was a sure sign of a girl in tears. He had immediately looked around for Seaweed, or Tracy, or Penny - but he knew none of them were anywhere nearby and wouldn't be for awhile longer, so he had followed after her.

It hadn't been a hard decision; she was a sweet kid and didn't deserve to be brought to tears or left to them alone. Besides that, Tracy loved her and that alone was enough to have him sprinting across the grass to where she was swinging… in what could only be described as a defiant manner… on the tall swing set that adorned the northern playfield.

Once he had arrived however, reality set in rather quickly. This particular area was where the black students tended to gather. He hadn't thought about it at first, but out of the corner of his eye he noticed a couple of cats had stopped playing basket ball and were now watching him attentively.

It wasn't that he assumed the worst… it was just that he assumed that they might assume the worst… which he guessed was probably pretty shitty all on it's own. It was a never ending cycle… he hated it, but he didn't know how to fix it.

"Inez, I just want to make sure you're alright, I was worried when I saw you… leaving."

Still nothing. Was she mad at him? He wasn't sure what he could've done to upset her. He hadn't seen her since rehearsal yesterday and she'd seemed happy at the time. He chanced a look at the basketball players and then sighed.

"Alright," he said, slipping into the swing next to her. "If you won't talk I guess I'm stuck here." He pushed off on the swing, enjoying the moment of weightlessness just before it swung forward. His legs were way too long and he had to turn them out to keep from dragging his shoes on the dirt beneath.

They stayed like that, swinging in tandem for several minutes. The basketball players seemed to decide he was harmless and had gone back to playing. Inez continued to swing as if compelled by some force beyond her control. Link was finding the swing oddly soothing himself, and had just begun to relax into the rhythm of it when he realized that for a moment, they were swinging in sync.

It sparked a memory of being a little kid again and Link smiled without thought.

"Get your frog out of my pot," he said to her; and Inez turned to look at him, her pigtails flapping, her dark eyes wide, and then she laughed. She tossed her head back, tipping the swing, interrupting the forward motion, and giggled like crazy.

She stopped pumping and dragged her feet on the ground to slow the swing and Link followed suit. For several long moments he simply watched as she hung there, leaning on the chain. He could see the tracks of dried tears on her toffee colored cheeks and felt very angry at whoever had put them there.

"You danced with me… at the pageant… just to impress Tracy didn't you?" she asked quietly. Link had to lean toward her to catch all her words and he frowned as she continued. "It didn't have anything to do with me."

Link took a moment to think, not just about what he should say, or what she wanted to hear, but about the truth. He had gone over that moment several times since that day, but never quite from this angle.

"I did dance with you to impress Tracy," He admitted. "I needed her… need her. I wanted her to know that I got it…"

Inez nodded, thinking she understood, but he knew she didn't yet.

"But… I really did, and do… believe that racism needs to stop," he continued. "And even more than that I believe that you are the best, most creative dancer I have ever seen. I thought that the moment I met you. I danced with _you_ because I wanted you to have your shot; I wanted you to get to show them what you could do."

She looked back at him studiously for a moment, and he was reminded of Tracy, the way she seemed to look right into him. "You really mean that." It wasn't a question.

"Also, I knew it would make Velma royally pissed," he added with a wicked grin and she laughed, twisting her swing, seeming suddenly lighter.

Behind them the bell rang and he turned toward it for a moment then looked back at her. "You ready to take on the world again, or are we skipping?"

"You'd skip class for me?"

"Sure would, although my girl might get jealous… and you really don't want that," he said looking very serious. Inez giggled and hopped off the swing.

"No thanks, I know how that girl fights. I have no desire to get on her bad side," she replied.

"She'd kick me for not skipping with you… she's crazy about you. She thinks you're…" Link stopped mid-sentence as Inez hurled herself into him, wrapping her arms around his middle and hugging him tight.

He just stood there stunned, unsure of what to do. He patted her gently on the back and then pulled her chin up to look her in the eye.

"What's all this, doll?"

Inez grinned about three feet wide, because he hadn't said "kid". "Just thank you!" she said and then broke away, running off for the school as the second bell rang.

Link laughed and watched her go, catching sight of a familiar figure waiting for him by the doors.

"Hey you," Tracy greeted when he drew near. "You're gonna be late again."

"Oh no," he replied flatly. "Golly gee, do you think Mr. Connor will give me detention?" Tracy giggled at his wooden performance, then leaned up on her tip toes to give him a long kiss, risking the wrath of any teacher watching. "Wow… what was that for? Not that I'm complaining…" he pulled her close and watched her mouth, ready to move in for a second helping.

"Just because I love you," she said, and then took his hand and dragged him inside. After all, she didn't want him to get _too_ much detention.


End file.
